Surgery

Surgical procedures are safer than ever thanks to advancements in veterinary medicine.  When your pet is admitted to our hospital for a surgical procedure, several steps are taken before we begin the actual surgery.

First, one of the technicians will perform a pre-operative exam to determine if there are any issues that would prevent us from proceeding with the surgery.  Then blood is drawn for pre-anesthetic testing, which tells us whether the liver, kidneys, blood count, etc. are within normal limits.  If your pet's blood work is normal, we know that his body can metabolize the anesthesia. 

A doctor will review your pet's exam and blood work results, and if everything is normal, a technician will administer pre-medications to reduce pain, calm your pet and reduce the amount of anesthesia needed.  Then a short-acting drug is given to allow your pet to fall asleep.  At that point, a breathing tube will be placed and a gas anesthesia/oxygen mix will be administered directly into your pet's lungs.  Your pet's vitals will be monitored during the entire procedure, and anesthesia can be adjusted as needed.  This allows us to address any issues before serious problems occur.

Our surgeries are performed in a sterile surgery suite. 

The doctors are masked and gowned, and your pet's surgery site is prepped and scrubbed.

When the surgery is complete, the gas anesthesia is turned off, and only oxygen is administered.  Because the gas anesthetic is delivered directly to the lungs, your pet will wake up fairly quickly.  At that point, the breathing tube is removed, and your pet is breathing on his own.  Our well-trained staff will continue to monitor your pet during his recovery period, and he usually can be released later the same day.  Owners often are amazed that their pet walks out of the hospital on his own with little indication that he has been under general anesthesia.